Nvidia lobbyist leveraged Trump ties to influence U.S. export-control policy

Nvidia hired longtime lawyer Tim Teter in 2017, shortly after the chipmaker announced its focus on artificial-intelligence computing. According to former government officials, Teter and other Nvidia lobbyists repeatedly referenced President Donald Trump’s support while urging officials developing export-control measures to align with the company’s interests. One internal exchange obtained by Semafor shows Teter accusing staffers of misrepresenting Nvidia’s products and President Trump’s policies, and urging them to back the president’s agenda.

Congressional staffers said the lobbying effort often relied on the perception of White House backing and on the technical complexity of Nvidia’s claims, which many found difficult to challenge. A former staffer described the approach as creating a “trust deficit” between the government and Nvidia, noting that the company denied improper chip sales to China despite reports that it under-reported shipments to a Chinese entity by 50,000 units, valued at billions of dollars.

In 2025, Nvidia told staffers that a provision in the Chip Security Act requiring chipmakers to locate their chips was “not technically feasible,” arguing that the technology would be vulnerable to spoofing. However, a Reuters report in December indicated that Nvidia had been developing a location-verification feature for months, which was later launched in May. A former staffer said the company had presented inaccurate technical assessments to Congress while the technology was already under development.

Nvidia declined to comment on the location-verification technology. The company’s lobbying tactics and its close relationship with President Trump have drawn scrutiny as policymakers consider tighter export controls on advanced AI chips.